Ammunition-loading apparatus for ordnance



Jan. 17, 1928.

A. T. DAWSON ET AL AMMUNITION LOADING APPARATUS FOR ORDNANCE Filed May 26, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan; 17, 1928. 1,656,727

A. T. DAWSON ET AL AMMUNITION LOADING APPARATUS FOR OBDNANCE Filed May 26. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 J2 W4 W Patented Jan. 17, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, OI WESTMINSTER, LON- DON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

AMMUNITION-LOADING APPARATUS FOR ORDNANCE.

Application filed Kay 26, 1027, Serial No. 194,308, and in Great Britain March 1, 1926.

This invention relates to ammunition loading apparatus for ordnance in which a movable loading tray carrying a rammer 1s provided for bringing the ammunition from a 6 receiving position at one side of the ath of recoil of the gun, into a position behind the breech for being rammed into the gun by the rammer.

According to the invention the rammer carried by the loading tray comprises a quick pitch screw which engages with anut form-' ing part of or connected to the rammer head and which is rotated through suitable mechanism in order to reciprocate the rammer head, preferably by a motor which may, for

instance, be a hydraulic motor of the swashplate type. The motor may be mounted on the gun cradle and in this case the said mechanism may comprise a shaft provided at 2 each end with a universal joint to emit the loading tray to be moved to an from its loading position behind the gun. The control member of the motor (i. e. a reversing control valve, of the piston type for example, in the case of a hydraulic motor) may be under the influence of a device serving to hold the said control member against move- 'ment to the ram position when the loading tray is in any but its loadin position behind the gun. This device ma :fiso serve to move the control member to the withdraw and neutral positions when the loading tray is being moved towards its receiving position out of the path of recoil of the gun.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation shewing a form of power operated loading apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1 with parts in section,

Figure 3 is a view of the gear wheels at the rear portion of Figure 2 but shewing these gear wheels in a different position. 7 V Figure 4 is a sectional rear elevation on the line 4, 4 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a vertical section through the axis of one of the gun trunnions.

Fi re 6 is a diagrammatic side elevation shewing one way in which the ramming apparatus can be operated in the event of fallure of the operating motor.

Figure 12 is a rear developed elevation of the cam of Figures 9 to 11, and

Figure 13 is a rear elevation shewing the actual shape of the said cam.

A is part of the gun, B is part of the gun cradle, C is part of the gun carriage and D is the loading tray.

B (Figures 1, 2 and 4) represents the I rammer motor which is shewn as being a hydraulic motor (preferably of the swashplate or similar type) and which is mounted on the gun cradle. B is the casing of the reversing control valve (preferably of the piston type) for the motor B and the stem B of this valve is operated by a hand lever B pivoted at 6 on the cradle. Fluid under ressure is supplied ,to the valve casing B y a pipe 6 connected to a tube 1) arranged within one the cradle trunnions B (see Figure 5), this tube being rotatabl connected at its outer end to a pipe I) w ich is connected in a fluid-tight manner to the vpressure main; the exhaust fluid is led fromthe valve casing by a pipe b which is connected to a tube arranged within the other cradle trunnion, this tube being rotatably connected in a fluid-tight manner to another pipe leading to the exhaust main. In this manner we are able to dispense with walking pipes which would otherwise be necessary in order to allow for the movement of the motor (which as aforesaid is mounted on the gun cradle) during the elevating of the gun.

The motor B drives a shaft B throu h a universal joint and the rear end of this s aft is connected b another universal joint to a short shaft g1 the loading tray D which is shewn as being of the type that swings about an axis par allel to the axis of the gun (preferable similar to that described in the specification of our earlier United States Patent No. 1,464,- 171 and carries .a quick itch screw D at or near its lower part. e rammer head carried at the rear end of D carried by a nut D that engages with this screw, has rollers bearing against longitudinal ides (l, d on the tray and the rear end of this screw carries a pinion d meshing with a pinion d on a sleeve (i splined to the shaft D The said sleeve can be moved bya handle 12 (Figure 1) to bring the pinion (l out of engagement with the former pinion d as shewn in Fi ure 3 so that in the event of the motor B reaking down the rammer head D can be operated by hand; for this purpose a chain or rope passing round a pulley D (Figures 1 and 6') at the front end of the loading tray is provided and is detachably connected to the rammer head, the angle of the screw about 45 for example) bein such that w en a pull is exerted on the ree end of the chain or rope the screw will rotate freely and not offer any serious resistance to the longitudinal movement of the rammer head. Another chain or rope detachably connected to the rammer head serves to move the. latter to the rear. This arrangement is shewn diagrammatically in Figure 6 in which d is the chain or rope assmg over the pulley D for erforming t e ramming operation by' ban and (1 is the chain or rope for moving the rammer head to the rear, these two chains or ropes being, for convenience, joined to ether as shewn.

igures 7 and 8 shew an arrangement for operating the quick pitch screw D bfy hand for moving the rammer head to and r0 and in this figure D is a handwheel mounted on the loading tray D and arranged to rotate a shaft D through bevel gearing. This shaft extends to the rear and carries a pinion d in permanent en agement with the aforesaid pinion d on the rear end of the quick pitch screw D. Although, in the constructlon shewn, the rammer 1s intended to be operated by hand onl the hand-operated gear could be associate with a motor drive as in Figures 1 to 4 and used in the event of the motor breaking down in which case the hand-operated gear would normally be de-clutched from the quick-pitch screw but would be clutched to this screw and the latter de-clutched from the motor if the motor should break down. a In Figures 1, 2 and 4, D .is aprojecting member on the boss of the loading tray D, this member occupyin the position shewn in which it is out of the path of a toe-piece on the aforesaid hand lever B, when the loading tray is in the loadin position, thereby permitting the control va ve of the motor B to be moved to the rear so as to cause the motor to o erate the rammer for ramming the projecti e into the When the loadmg tray is in the receiving position shewnbychain lines in Figure 4, the member D lies in-the path of the toe-piece B and the said movement of the valve is theref Letters Patent of the United by prevented. In the modification shewn by Figures 9 to 13 they member D on the boss of the loading tray is in the form of a cam member having two cam surfaces (i and (1' arranged a suitable distance apart. The

band ever B has rigidly connected thereto a member having two arms B, B of which the arm B is adapted to co-operate with the cam surface cl and the arm B is adapted to co-ofierate with the cam surface When t e loading tray is in the receivin position, the cam surface d enga es wit the arm B and the flat ortion of t e memmember D engages wit the other arm B as shewn in Figure 9. The control valve is thus locked in the neutral or central position. When the loading tray is moved towards the loading position and is approaching the latter position, the cam surface (1 co-operates with the arm B as shewn in Figure 10 so as to move the control valve to the withdraw position; further movement of the loading tray into the leading position then causes the cam surface (1 to move clear of the arm B as shewn in Figure 11 so that the hand lever B can then be moved to bring the control valve to the ram position, the parts B, B and B then occupying the osition shewn by chain lines in Figure 11.

onversely durin the first art of the movement of the loading tray irom the leading position to the receiving position the control valve is moved to the withdraw position Figure 10) and as the loading'tray reaches t e receiving position the control valve is moved to the central or neutral position (Fi ure 9);

ll hat we claim and desire to secure by States is 1. In ammunition loading a paratus for ordnance, the combination wit a loading tray, pivoted to the n cradle, for brin ing the ammunition roma receiving POSI- tion at one side of the gun into the loadin position behind the gun, of a rammer hea carried by said tray, quick-pitch screw and nut gear, also carried by said tray, and a motor mounted on the gun cradle or operating said gear.

2. In ammunition loading a paratus for ordnance, the combination with a loading tray, pivoted to the n cradle, 'for brin ing the ammunition rom a receiving position at one side of the gun into the load position behind the gun, of a rammer he carried by said tray, nick-pitch screwland nut gear, also carried y said tray, a motor mounted on the gun cradle for operatin said gear, a shaft between said motor an said ar and a uni ers'al joint at each end of said shaft.

3. In ammunition loading" a paratus for ordnance, the combination wit a movable loading tray for bringing theammunition rom a receiving position where it lies out of the path of recoil of the gun, into the loading position behind the gun, of a rammer head carried by said tray, screw and nut gear for operating said rammer head, a motor for operating said gear, a control member for said motor and a device serving to hold said control member against movement to the ram position when the loading tray is in any but the loading position.

4. In ammunition loading apparatus for ordnance, the combination with a movable loading tray for bringing the ammunition from a receiving position where it lies out of the path of recoil of the gun, into the loading position behind the gun, of a rainmer head carried by said tray, screw and nut gear for operating said rammer head, a motor for operating said gear, a control member for said motor and a device serving to hold said control member against movement to the ram position when the loading tray is in any but the loading position and also serving to move the control member to the withdraw and neutral positions when the loading tray is being moved towards its receiving position.

5. In ammunition loading apparatus for ordnance, the combination with a movable loading tray for bringing the ammunition from a receiving position where it lies out of the path of recoil of the gun, into the loading position behind the gun, of a rammer head carried by said tray, screw and nut gear for operating said rammer head, a motor for operating said gear, means for at will disconnecting said motor from said gear and means for then operating said gear by hand.

6. In ammunition loading apparatus for ordnance, the combination with a movable loading tray for bringing the ammunition from a receiving posit-ion where it lies out of the path of recoil of the gun, into the loading position behind the gun, of a rammer head carried by said tray, screw and nut gear for operating said rammer head, a pressure fluid motor carried by the gun cradle for operating said gear and pressure and exhaust conduits for said motor, parts of these conduits passing through the gun cradle trunnions.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM. 

